Pastor's Note

I think it's safe to say that there is no one more patient than the Lord Himself. Therefore, when we see Jesus display a moment of seeming exasperation, we ought to take notice. One of those moments comes in Mark 9, where Jesus says in verse 19; “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?" What causes such a reaction in Jesus?

Last Sunday I should have remembered to say thank you for allowing me the privilege to travel to our USMB national gathering and represent CBC. There were a number of highlights, including the chance to recall God's faithfulness in and through our family of churches. We will have a chance to celebrate God's faithfulness on Sunday as well, as we celebrate our 60th anniversary as Community Bible Church.

Our July elder meeting was held July 16. We spent a portion of our time in discussion of pastoral care and related prayer, and the remaining agenda consisted of preparing for the Family Gathering (July 26) and some other miscellaneous items.

We are now squarely in the summer season, which, for many of us, means abnormal schedules, travel, and vacation opportunities. This also means that we may be more sporadically plugged into the events and rhythms of church! That's not necessarily a bad thing - just a reality of the season. But we might miss some things, so I want to encourage you to engage in a few specific ways!

Our June elder meeting was held July 1. Josh gave us an update on their mission; we were encouraged and spent time in prayer for their mission. Much of the remaining time was spent formulating a budget for the 26-27 fiscal year.

Satan is aggressively opposed to the proclamation and spread of the gospel. I think this is clearly established in Scripture and life experience. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says; "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ..." In 1 Thessalonians 2:18, Paul tells the church he wanted to visit them, but Satan prevented it.

As you read this, Lord willing, I will be on vacation with my family and enjoying some rest and rejuvenation. Whenever I take vacation time, I find myself reflecting on a few things. I'm greatly relieved to be able to step away and rest, and be reminded that all things are in the Lord's hands. Truthfully, every time we even go to sleep it's a reminder that the world is not dependent on our conscious activity. We ultimately are not needed. Only the Lord is.

When you hear the word "Puritan," what comes to mind? For most people, who may not be as familiar with church history as we generally are, the word Puritan has associations of prudishness and uptight morality. We even have a word for it - "puritanical." It is true that they, as a rule, took matters of Christian ethics very seriously.

I am very thankful for all the people who put in so much time to make VBS happen this year. I know I'm biased because my wife had a big hand in writing out the curriculum, but I do think we put together a great week of VBS.

It hadn't occurred to me before Sunday's sermon, but the principles of effective and Christlike correction and reproof in the church, I think, also largely apply to parents as we consider how to best correct our children. On Sunday, we laid out a few principles for faithful correction, including: